Our infamous Black Tuesday is an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels for over a year. Rich caramel, toasted malt, vanilla, burnt wood and anise are just a few of the many flavors in this rich, decadent imperial stout.

Beer: Ratings & Reviews

2009 edition generously shared by Shane. Thanks! Enjoyed this one over the course of a couple hours with Shane and Dyan. This provided a nice contrast to all the bottles of lambic we opened that day.

The pour is black and opaque, impressively dark for the style. It's even black around the edges, and the head is nearly black itself. I'd describe this beer as black.

It smells strongly of bourbon and brownies. The bourbon imparts a strong aroma of caramel, which is supported by a huge chocolate malt foundation. Where's the alcohol? I have no idea. At 19.5% ABV, it's unbelievable how mellow this is. While it's not the most complex stout I've come across, it's certainly a feat of brewing.

The taste opens with bourbon, vanilla, toffee and bittersweet chocolate. Rich and full-bodied, but surprisingly it's neither syrupy nor cloying. Very little heat, and no harshness - I've tried -bal aged beers of half the ABV that tasted hotter. Amazing. Molasses-like sweetness along with a mild roastiness appear mid-palate. Carbonation is fairly ample, enough to give the beer a lively texture and ward off the taste of alcohol. The finish is sweet, a bit woody, with lingering flavors of coffee, caramel and slight alcohol. It's warming going down, the only indication that this is anywhere near 19.5%.

Drinkability isn't especially high, it did take me a couple hours to finish 1/3 of a bottle, but with that said it never became cloying or harsh - it's just such a filling and intense beer that I can't see myself wanting to drink it often or in large quantities.

Thanks Jared & Kevin for making this review possible... An appropriately sinny rapturebeer™ if ever there was one. Review from written notes.

Into a small tulip glass it pours an imposing black with blood red ruby edges that glint in the light. Slim amount of foam, tan ring around the edge, surprising there was any foam considering the abv. The glassy obsidian surface reminds me of the oily black pool at Glastonbury Grove in Twin Peaks.

Toasted marshmallows, melted milk chocolate bars, deep roasty char.

Rich and fudgy (understatement), caramel toffee, almond fudge, fried plantains, warm chocolate syrup. Mucho dry roast and bitter bakers chocolate in the aftertaste. So decadent. Impossibly dense, fudgy and chewy to the nth degree, a perfect liquid dessert. About 4 oz. is enough for one sitting, although I could certainly drink more if I forced myself.

And the elusive Black Tuesday sits in my glass. Nice. it pours a straight obsidian topped by a half-finger of light ecru foam. The nose comprises rich bourbon, chocolate syrup, roasted malts, molasses, and oak. Smells like the hype might ring true. The taste, though, ensures that it does not. The bourbon is far too hot, the chocolate is just a step too sweet, and these combined with a hefty dose of roasted malts produce an unnerving prickle on the tongue. It's clear there was a damn good idea in place for this beer, but it doesn't seem as though it was carried out very well. Perhaps some age would have done it some good, but I'm not sure I'll find that out. As it stands, the flavors are just too all over the place to work properly. The body is a hefty-ish medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a semi-chewy feel. Overall, though disappointing, I was very glad to have been able to try this brew. I can see why many would love it, but it's just not working for me.

I was able to try all three versions at during the tasting this past weekend. My rating will be based off of the 2009 bottle, which I enjoyed the most. Poured from the bottle into my Colossus snifter.

Appearance: Pours black with a very mild amount of tan head that disappears quickly.

Smell: Some hot alcohol with dark fruit, roasted barley, and a ton of sweet and dark chocolate. Quite nice.

Taste: Sweet and very smooth, chalked full of warming alcohol that made mellowed from time. Sweet chocolate with dark fruit and some honey as well.

Mouthfeel: Thick and syrupy with tingly carbonation and a slick finish.

Overall: I thought this beer was just wonderful. I love how much it has mellowed since I was first able to try it. I found the 2010 version to be way too hot, and I preferred the 2011 version to the 2010. 2009 is simply sublime.

Capped 750 ml bottle into several glasses on 2/3/10. Big thanks go to Deuane for busting this bad boy out on his 40th birthday as a special treat for us all to try.

The pour on this is blacker than black, with about a ½ finger of angry, burnt, reddish, and just all around mean looking, mocha colored head. The retention is this is actually pretty sturdy for a barrel-aged effort, staying foamy on the sides and then more fizzy across the middle portion of the glass. Swirling this gets a steady rise of froth, which leaves a cascade of sticky foam and brown oils, which ever so slowly creeps down the sides of the glass. The aroma is literally, like a bomb going off in the nose. Cocoa, vanilla, brown sugars, herbal hops, burnt molasses, bitter dark malts, and fried smelling sugars, are all out in full force here. The Bourbon kind of hangs half in and half out here in the nose, mingling effortlessly up front with the other flavors and then showing itself all out in the back. As you can imagine, there is a good bit of heat present that singes the nose hairs a bit but when you're dealing with flavors this huge, it only adds to the general badassness of this dark and powerful bouquet.

The taste is just as large and in charge as the aroma was and contains much of the same feel and flavors. Burned and blackened malts, espresso, green citric tones, extremely sticky and thick notes of chocolate, toffee, smoky molasses, brown sugar, plums, and black currants. Trust me, if it dark and sweet tasting, it's probably in here. Bourbon hangs over the other flavors like a hazy cloud, being prominent but still allowing the largeness of the other flavors to still shine. Understandably, the barrel character seems to get a bit lost in the shuffle at times but I can still pick up a good bit of earthy tannic dryness in the finish. The mouthfeel on this beer feels beyond full, with a massive creaminess to it that literally blows up in your mouth. All of that chewy sweetness and herbal character comes in off of the sides with a gooey slickness. I don't think that any description I can give can properly give the mouthfeel of this thing its due. The ABV on this is beyond warm. It's downright hot at times (with the Bourbon flavor adding some of that) but it's not nearly enough to make you think that this thing is pushing 20%. As a matter of fact, everything else about this beer is so huge and ridiculous, I didn't mind it one bit! Hell, throw some over-the-top alcohol in there as well! The more the merrier!

Well after finally getting to try this, I can definitely see how just how polarizing of a beer this can be. Everything about this (OK, except maybe the look) is just outrageous and I think that one's enjoyment of this will depend on their like of these types of flavors or big Stouts in general, as they are totally taken to the nth degree here. I personally loved every drop of it! I will say that a little bit of this goes a long way. I had about 4-5 oz from the bottle and that was plenty for me. This was definitely a bottle meant to be shared by friends.

Got a chance to try this awesome beast thanks to ShogoKawada's trading prowess and our "Rush Hour Tasting" of epic magnitudes. I had to back log a bunch of beers so I could write this up for my 200th review as I'm trying to do something epic for each centennial review. My review will be a little less in depth as usual as I was truing to scribble little notes into my notebook and enjoy/savor the awesomeness of the beer at the same time.

N: Nose is loaded with chocolate up the wazzoo, and I'm talkin all kinds of chocolate, bakers chocolate, mild chocolate, dark chocolate, malted chocolate. Some bourbon and oak make their way through it's lusciousness. A little boozy on the nose, but not close to what I would expect for 19.5%. It adds some malty aromas, but not overwhelming.

T: Taste just blows it away. Is so rich and thick. Very sweet with some maple and molasses and a huge malty sweetness. Some bourbon flavor permeates, but doesn't overpower like the chocolate and sweetness. Which brings me to the chocolate. Again, just about every chocolate you can dream of coming out the taste of this. It adds a nice stoutty flavor too with more earthy charred malt flavor. Add some roasted malts to it and you got a nice mix going. Still somewhat boozy but not what you would expect for 19.5%. As it warms more alcohol comes out a bit, the sweetness lessens, your mouth gets used to the chocolate, and some fruity qualities come out. Even a touch of toasted coconut comes through, as well as some fig and plum maybe.

M: So rich and thick my mouth is partying thinking it died and went to beer heaven. It's like liquid velvet blended with the smooth skin of a baby's ass. Some warming alcohol, but not overbearing.

F: Finish is still very sweet, although it seems to lessen on sweetness as it warms but ups the boozy taste. Although I would still put this beer at 10-12% abv so this blend really hides it well. Some bitterness comes out on the finish probably a combination of some hidden hops as well as the earthiness of the starched malts and stout like qualities.

This beer basically lived up to the awesome hype. I was a little worried that it wouldn't, and we all wanted it to bomb out so we could downgrade the score. Instead it did the opposite and made is happy but sad at the same time. I would love to see how this does with a few more years under it's belt. I hope they continue to make batches of this and make higher quantities. The only difficult part of it was the sweetness that was a little overbearing at times, and it was hard to finish, even slowly, but that just pushes the sipping aspect of it, which is very thankful as it masks the 19.5% so well you could just put it back much easier otherwise.

Big thanks to the generosity of Deuane for sharing this beast. Poured chilled into a 1/2 pint and allowed to gradually warm

A - Big and black appearance -the look is not quite viscous like black chocolate liquid, a ring of light tan is present and a bit of cream revives to a thin skin of a head when swirled. The lace hold on the glass when sips are taken

S - molasses, vanilla and toffee notes are high in the aroma w/ baked brownie and a light cocoa bean and dark roast coffee

T - The flavor is intense from the get-go, black currants and cocoa w/ dark brown sugar and slightly charred malt taste w/ woody accents and toasted grain w/ bitter herbal flavor and dark roast coffee-like acidity w/ lots of intense concentrated wort flavor like a dark malty molasses accented roasted elixir, both dry and sweet w/ spicy and alcohol flavors all very forward in the flavor, big beer that lets you know its a bruiser but doesn't knock you out with the first taste. The layers of malts and wood and alcohol all are in sync and leave ripples of full flavor on the tongue even after the taste

D - The drinkability is hard to compare to others of the style, very high quality and enjoyable to savor, yet not something you would want to pick up and drink all that often. For what it is it is highly drinkable. The flavors evolve very well and the abv while evident is still not close to what you might expect 19%+ to be when consuming this

I'm pretty sure this was a 2012 bottle, consumed Jan. '14. Dark brown-black pour, no surprise there, topped with a thin brown head that receded to a ringlet; minimal lacing. Aroma was fairly sweet, notes of dark chocolate and vanilla, pretty hot with bourbony booze, licorice, brown sugar, some dark fruits. But the booze was the dominant factor. Fairly sweet up front in the taste (not quite Dark Lord sweet, perhaps), lots of booze, bourbon-soaked oak, bitter dark chocolate, licorice, tobacco, dark fruits, more subtle vanilla, the oak and herbal hops came out a bit more in the finish, and even more so as it warmed. While this was definitely pretty hot and boozy, it still drank fairly well, considering the extremely high ABV. Body was on the fuller side of medium--might as well just call it full--with a slick and somewhat unctuous mouthfeel. A decent brew overall, but doesn't really live up to the hype (welcome to the Bruery). I can get a World Wide Stout at my local shop and experience pretty much the same thing this beer offers (or better), in a better package (aka smaller bottle) and for a better price.

2011 vintage opened at Joe & Julie's place. Served in a badass Batman Forever stein, back when McDonald's actually had cool giveaway items.

A - A nice finger of tan foam settles to a thick collar but minimal lacework. Black body with a glint of brown at the edges of the glass. Pretty impressive at 18.2%.

S - Huge bourbon barrel presence, with plenty of dry wood, whiskey, vanilla, and dark chocolate. Only mild roast and coffee flavors in the periphery. Intensely rich, with well-hidden alcohol - most people who tried this would have never guessed it was over 18%.

T - Taste is quite similar, with massive amounts of chocolate, vanilla, and lighter touch of bourbon, barrel, and caramel. Again, there's minimal roast character, resulting in this being very sweet. Still it was quite easy to drink and never became cloying.

M - Viscous and shake-like full body, with enough carbonation to get things from getting too heavy or sludge-like. Some alcohol warmth, but nothing untoward. Pretty creamy, with only mild barrel tannin presence. I expected a slightly heavier beer at 18.2%, but I appreciate that this drinks like it has an ABV in the low teens.

D - Really enjoyable stuff - the 2011 seems to be developing nicely as I thought it was a bit boozy last time I had it just before Christmas. I know there's been backlash against the hype on this beer, but it's really excellent and among the Bruery's best offerings. Just make sure you have friends on hand, as drinking more than 6oz will put you in the fast lane to incomprehensibility.

20 malts! Wow. I was annoyed with all the hype surrounding this beer but given the opportunity to try it, I was seriously blown away by it and I'm really glad I got the opportunity.

Beer is black (shocking) and forms a thin brown head that leaves some lacing on the glass. Carbonation is moderate to low. When I swirl the beer it coats the glass and leaves legs on the walls of the glass like a fine wine would do.

This is a seriously big beer, I was expecting alcohol in the nose but no...it smells sweet and there's some bourbon smell in there but no straight alcohol. I can pick up some roast as well. Really nicely balanced, seriously.

Beer is sweet up front but has a good body to it, medium. I'm definitely not drinking rubbing alcohol but I'm also not chewing it. There is some bitterness in the back but again, the alcohol is completely masked. I'm knocking it down on drinkability because I honestly don't think I could drink a lot of it, its builds on me in both sweetness and bitterness but its a great beer. Think Bourbon County on steriods.

t - Tastes of bourbon, oak, chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla, and molasses. Also a little bit of raisin or dark fruit. Taste is a bit hot but still great to me, as I love bourbon.

m - Medium to full body and low carbonation. The body is really smooth and creamy and the ABV is very well hidden. It I didn't know this was 18-19% ABV, I would have guessed it was 9%. Love the mouthfeel.

d - Overall I thought this was an amazing beer; one of the best barrel aged stouts I've ever had. While this beer is super hyped and I have been disappointed with some of their hyped beers in the past, this one lived up to the hype. I think it looks and smells great, and has a wonderful mouthfeel, but is a tiny bit hot. I think in 6-12 months this could be even better, if the heat dies down a tiny bit. Either way, if you like bourbon barrel aged stouts you'll still love this one now. Would love to get another bottle of this.

T: The notes of the nose are all present - oak presiding, with a slightly tart unexpected finish. Rich, well balanced, and brilliantly built. The raisin comes through as well. The tart fruit is quite special in this style.

Mf: Velvety smooth and wet. A touch too thick, but it complements the flavours perfectly. This is the strong point of the beer.

Dr: A wonderful sipper, but difficult to drink on account of its high ABV. It's affordable for a small amount at the brewery, but rather unfairly expensive out of the bottle. I'd have it again at a fair price. Really quite nice.